Gerry Lopez getting it deep | Photo: Ryan Boyes
NOT ALL OLD FOLKS ARE FOOLS. It’s hard to get old being foolish especially if one likes to indulge in sports like surfing or snowboarding. There are a lot of young wise men that are deader than a doornail, but being old means that maybe a little wisdom stuck along the way. And not that wisdom necessarily comes with age; sometimes age just shows up all by itself. What is wisdom? On occasion, it is the quality that keeps one from getting into situations where it’s needed. A couple of personal guidelines for the wise come to mind right away. First is that its always easier to ride the horse in the direction he’s going. Second, never ride like there’s no tomorrow, always ride to ride again tomorrow.
In surfing, the ‘horse’ is fairly obvious; one isn’t going to be able to ride in any direction other than where the wave goes. Going left on a right usually results in an instant lesson on what not to do. On the mountain, well, a snowboard only can go downhill but sometimes it gets a little more involved than that. Like not going between trees that are too close together for a snowboard or a body to pass through. Or going too fast through a group of skiers who’s intentions are less easy to predict than, say, someone on a snowboard. That these are completely obvious is simple common sense, but sometimes the path of least resistance can elude a person who isn’t paying attention, who’s mind has wandered on to something other than the task at hand. When one is on a ‘horse’, the focus should be completely on that horse. Life is always full of surprises, however, by being in the moment means one is focused on what he or she is doing, not thinking about what’s for dinner while venturing out onto a slope who’s stability is questionable.
Different than surfing, snowboarding gives one the opportunity to think about what’s coming before dropping in. Looking at the slope, or cornice, or hit ahead and running through the variable possibilities of what might happen before starting is really a bonus. When surfing, the wave approaches, the surfer turns to paddle for it and once he catches it, he begins to see what kind of wave he has and then after that, everything starts happening really fast.Of course, once a snowboarder drops in on his run, it’s the same as surfing, things are moving quickly. There really isn’t time to think. All actions originate in the mind. It receives a stimulus of a need for action. Then the mind sends a message via the nerves to contract the muscles in readiness. In both surfing and snowboarding, these actions are intuitive because it all occurs so rapidly that there isn’t time for any thought processes. It’s all about going with the flow smoothly and being in the moment spontaneously, that’s how one gets the most out of the ride. It applies to life in exactly the same way.
Ride to ride again tomorrow may make perfect sense to some, but an impulsive nature can certainly affect being in the moment of here and now. This is where we qualify the being in moment by tempering it with at least a fleeting thought of being around tomorrow. This bit of foresight actually originated while we were pioneering the surf camp at G-Land. Located in a jungle preserve on the southeastern tip of Java in Indonesia, we were at the mercy of our surroundings.
Had any of us gotten seriously injured while surfing there, it was a long, long ways to any hospital or help. Oftentimes, whether snowboarding or surfing, when conditions are perfect, there is that difficult to resist temptation to push the envelope far beyond prudence. Riding with abandon like there is no tomorrow happens a lot more frequently when we are with a good group of friends. How many times have we all thought to show off just because we knew our buddies were watching only to stuff it, crash and burn? Is that okay if there are lifeguards, ski patrol, doctors, hospitals, Air Life, and/or lots of help, all within close range?
Who can say but having those services nearby is certainly better than being in some wild, remote place when they are needed. And the bottom line is, as good as it may seem right now, one never knows if tomorrow will be better? So giving some thought to saving a bit for later sometimes makes good sense. And remember that the best surfer or snowboarder is always the one having the most fun. Keep riding.
This article was featured in Volume 8 Issue 2.
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